J.Crew: Garden Tunic Review

This is J.Crew's Garden Tunic (item #15688), which retails for $69.50, and is currently on sale for $49.99.  The tunic is alpha-sized, and is available in sweet papaya, white, and shell.  J.Crew describes the tunic as such:

The spray of hand-placed, raw-edged petals adds a modern touch to this classic boho style. Cotton. Self fabric. Straight bodice. V-neck. Three-quarter sleeves. Unlined. Falls to midthigh. Import. Machine wash.

I tried the tunic on in a size extra small, in the shell color.  I think the tunic runs a bit on the big side, but not as much as the other cover-up I tried on.  This cover-up also has longer sleeves, and the sleeves are fairly true-to-size, maybe a bit on the bigger size.  These sleeves "fit" me, but I would have liked them a little looser, especially for a cover-up.  I would imagine they would have fit better in a size small, my normal top size.

The tunic falls to about mid-thigh, and has a slightly flared shape towards the bottom, which allows you to walk/move around comfortably.  The tunic shape itself is fairly shapeless though.

The fabric is a very soft and light cotton, which does allow the fabric to move slightly.

The neckline of the tunic has a sort of keyhole neckline.  The entire neckline is trimmed in cotton flower petals, similar to those on the front of the Garden Dress, but with only one row.  The petals go around the neckline, and along the sides of the keyhole.  There is a skinny tie at the neckline that closes the neckline and keyhole.

I don't particularly care for the ties on the top.  I think the petal detail is nice, but I am not crazy about the tie.  I don't really like the way it looks when it is tied, and the ties just sort of hang there when it's not tied.  Notice in the model pictures that when it is not tied, it creates a rather pretty V-neck, but I still think it would be better off with the ties.

As a beach cover-up, I think it would have worked better with shorter sleeves, or sleeveless.  If you are looking for this to multi-task as a tunic top, then you should note that the neckline is pretty deep, and that it is fairly sheer.  That said, I do think it is a pretty cute tunic.

I left this behind because I didn't need a tunic, and I wasn't totally in love with this one.  And again, I hardly ever go to the beach, so I wouldn't really have much use for it.  I will say though that if I did end up picking this one up, the first thing I would do is get rid of those ties!

What do you think?  Do you like this tunic?  Do you like the petals on the neckline?  What do you think of the ties?  Which colors do you like?  Would you wear this as a beach cover-up, a tunic, or both?

J.Crew: Seersucker Petal Bikini Review

This is one of J.Crew's swimsuits from this season, but the pieces are not matched the way J.Crew matches them.  The top is the Seersucker Petal String Top (item #15467), which retails for $44.  The top is alpha-sized, and is available in dark charcoal, papaya, bright sun, garden green, and rich purple.  J.Crew describes the top as such:

Styled in seersucker—a summer favorite—with pretty flower petal detail along the bust. J.Crew nylon/Lycra® spandex. Quick drying. Fade resistant. Retains its shape. Ties at neck and back. Fits A/B cups best; size up for more coverage. Lined. Import. Our swimsuits are machine washable, but we recommend hand washing as it helps keep the fabric and the shape of the suit looking newer, longer.

The bottom is not the Seersucker Petal Bikini, which is item #15500.  The bottom is actually the Seaside Seersucker Bikini (item #16605), which is also alpha-sized, but is only available in dark charcoal, papaya, and bright sun.  It retails for $42.  J.Crew describes the bottom as such:

A summer essential: our classic bikini bottom, now in seersucker J.Crew nylon/Lycra® spandex. Quick drying. Fade resistant. Retains its shape. Sits on hips. Full coverage. Lined. Import. Our swimsuits are machine washable, but we recommend hand washing as it helps keep the fabric and the shape of the suit looking newer, longer.

I tried both of these pieces on in a size small, in the bright sun color.  Another time I was in the store, I tried the same combination together in the bright sun color again, but this time with both pieces in a medium.  The top is a standard triangle string top, that ties around the neck and the back.  The bikini is a basic bikini bottom, with moderate front and back coverage. 

I found that the top fit a little bit on the small side.  It "fit" okay, but it was a little bit on the small size for my comfort level.  The medium top certainly provided more coverage, and I prefer the medium to the small; however, that's based on my comfort level.  I don't think the small looks so bad, but I just know that I would not feel comfortable wearing the size small.

As for the bottoms, the small was a little snug, but the medium was not really that much better, and even worse, had a little bit of bag and sag in the back, unfortunately.  The bottoms are on the lower-rise end, and provide a good bit of coverage in the back.

The fabric is much rougher than the sort of "standard" swimsuit material, but I think that is because it is seersucker.  The seersucker ridges are on the small to medium size.

The petal part of the Seersucker Petal bikini is a set of petals that trim the inner hem of the bikini top.  They're about medium size (not too large, not too small), and are a pretty prominent detail.  On the tops that I tried on, the petals were more fluffed, and less flat, like in the model pictures, and I'm honestly not sure which way I prefer them.  I think fluffed.  I think they are a pretty cute detail, but I'm not sure I would wear them with the Seersucker Petal Bikini bottom, as I think it might be a little bit of petal overkill, but I don't know - it could also be pretty cute.  (Also, I ordered a ruffle bikini bottom from J.Crew last summer, and I was not crazy about ruffles on the bottom.)

In the end, I left this one behind because I don't really wear string/triangle tops anymore.  I also couldn't make up my mind about the color.  I really like the garden green color, but the non-petal bikini doesn't come in that color, so I ended up passing.

What do you think?  Do you like this bikini?  Have you seen it or tried it on?  Do you own it?  Do you like the petal details?  Which color do you prefer?

J.Crew: Ruffle Gauze Cover-Up Review

This is a beach/lounge cover-up from J.Crew that I'm calling the Ruffle Gauze Cover-Up (item #15544).  It retails for $55, and is alpha-sized.  It was available in a few different colors, including this one, SSE (I think soft seashell), and at least white as well.  I can't remember if there were others.  I tried this on in an extra small.

I think the cover-up runs a little on the bigger size, as I tried this on in an extra small, and it fit very comfortably.  The small would have been pretty loose on me, and I think would have worked as well, since it is made to be a cover-up, and not a top.  The material was a gauze-like material, and I would guess that it is a cotton gauze fabric.  It is extremely light and breathable, which is always nice in a cover-up.

The cover-up has very generous armholes, and I would liken the sleeve shape to an extremely short dolman sleeve.  It has a very deep V-neck, which is trimmed in ruffles, and has a tiny bit of shirring where the V comes to a point.  Other than that, the cover-up has a fairly straight line, and looks almost like an oversized tee.  I do wish that they had made the bottom flare out a little bit, rather than keeping it in a straight line, as it's a little tighter around the hips and thighs than the rest of the cover-up is in relation to the rest of the bottom.  (Wearing your regular size would probably help here.)

The bottom of the cover-up is hemmed with a row of ruffles, and above that, there are three rows of smaller ruffles, which are similar to the ruffles on J.Crew's ruffle swim tops that are out this season.  I think they are a really cute touch, and really help make the cover-up a bit more interesting.

Agove is a close-up of the bottom ruffles, and below is a close-up of the V-neck and ruffles.

I ended up leaving this one behind because I wasn't really in the market for a beach cover-up (because I hardly ever go to the beach, ahem ahem Boyfriend), plus I have a lot of old t-shirts that I could always wear.  Plus I have a really cute gauze side-tie skirt from J.Crew a couple years ago that is a very cute cover-up.

What do you think?  Do you like this cover-up?  What do you think of the ruffle details?  What color would you get it in?  What do you use for cover-ups now?  Do you think this is too much to spend on a cover-up?

J.Crew: Confetti-Dot Ruffle Swim Review

This review is for a couple of separates from J.Crew's Confetti-Dot swim "collection", which comes an a pretty wide variety of pieces:

Tops

• Ruffle Underwire Top (item #15521)
• Ruffle Underwire Top D-Cup (item #15929)
• Wide-Band Halter Top (item #15520)
• Wide-Band Halter Top D-Cup (item #15950)
• Ruffle Bandeau Top (item #15466)

Bottoms

• Wide-Band Hipster (item #15591)
• Ruffle Hipster (item #15469)
• Bikini (item #15524)

One-Pieces

• Ruffle Bandeau Tank (item #15468)
• Ruffle Bandeau Tank D-Cup (item #16592)

The separates are available in gilded olive, slate, cocoa, papaya, tropical aqua, and brilliant navy.  The one pieces seem to be available in fewer colors, but I'm not sure if this is because those colors are already sold out, or because they were just not available.

So first I wanted to share this with you: how cute is this swimsuit hanger?  I love this way of hanging the swimsuit tops - much nicer than those harsh pants clip hangers that they use sometimes!

I tried on the Ruffle Bandeau Top and the Ruffle Hipster in-store in the slate color.  I tried both pieces on in a small.  The top was $44, and the bottom was $42; however, these same pieces are $46 and $44 online, respectively.  The other pieces in the collection range from $44 to $78 online, and there are matching girls' suits as well.  J.Crew describes the top as:

Simply irresistible with rows of ruffles and a cute confetti-inspired allover dot print. Made from our very own J.Crew nylon/Lycra® spandex. Quick drying. Fade resistant. Retains its shape. Removable halter strap (it's perfect for avoiding strap marks). Ties at back. Lined. Import. Our swimsuits are machine washable, but we recommend hand washing as it helps keep the fabric and the shape of the suit looking newer, longer. 

They describe the bottoms as:

Our favorite hipster served up extra sweet with allover dots and ruffle trim at the waist. J.Crew nylon/Lycra® spandex. Quick drying. Fade resistant. Retains its shape. Sits low on hips. Full coverage. Lined. Import. Our swimsuits are machine washable, but we recommend hand washing as it helps keep the fabric and the shape of the suit looking newer, longer. 

I think overall, the fit is true to size.  I think it's definitely true to size for the top, but less so for the bottoms.  I am technically within the small size range for the bottoms, and can comfortably wear sizes 4 and 6 in bottoms, but these were a tiny bit snug.  I would have sized up if I knew that the medium wouldn't be baggy and saggy in the back, which they probably would be.  So if you are on the higher end of a size, you may want to consider sizing up.

I think the top fits fairly true to size.  I had tried on another swimsuit top in a size small, and it was too small (will review that one another time), so I was worried about this one, but it fit just fine - it was appropriately snug, but still nice and comfortable.  I'm certainly not worried abou any spillage or peep-show accidents with this one.  The top has a detachable halter strap, which I like.  I was a little wary of the allover ruffles, but I thought they looked really cute on, and much better than they do on the hanger.  I think they did a nice job incorporating them into the top in terms of the pattern, so it doesn't look too out of place.

The fabric is really nice - I would say fairly standard swimsuit material, but it is of a somewhat thicker and seeminly nicer quality than your average swimsuit.  It is really smooth to the touch, and has a nice amount of stretch, without being overly stretchy.

Here is a picture of the swimsuit without the removable halter strap.  I think it looks cute both ways, and it's nice to have that extra option.

I think the swimsuit looks better in person than it does in my photographs.  It of course, looks great on the model, and is a wonderful accessory to her scalpel-sharp clavicles.  Anyway, so the story behind this swimsuit is this: I didn't really want it in this grey color, and they only had the olive green color as the other option, so I passed, which was sad, because they were offering 30% off full-priced swim in-store.  In the end, my personal shopper was able to honor the discount (plus my student discount) over the phone, once she confirmed that the store was indeed running the promotion, so I did take this suit (exact combination, but different colors) home!

What do you think?  Do you like this swimsuit?  Which other pieces of the confetti-dot collection do you like?  What do you think of J.Crew's swim in general?

I have a few other swimsuits I might review; I haven't decided if I'll continue doing the swim reviews though.  What do you think?

Anthropologie: Convertible Cover-Up

I received this e-mail from Anthropologie a few days ago, and have been meaning to post about it, but I also thought it'd be a good segueway into letting you know that I'll be including Anthropologie here on a limited basis.  

I hit up a local mall this weekend to do some reviews, and I ventured into Anthropologie for my first time, and I have to say, I'm in love!  For someone who loves dresses, skirts, and home goods like I do, I cannot believe that I have never been in Anthropologie before.  I've been getting their catalogs for awhile now (no idea how), and have always sort of leafed through them, gawked at the prices, then tossed them in the recycle bin, but not anymore!

So anyway, this is a convertible cover-up from Anthropologie, and they show the model wearing it 5 different ways.  I like 3 out of the 5 looks (don't like the one on the far left or the way top).  I have never tried a convertible dress, and the only one I've ever really been tempted by was from Butter by Nadia.  I do love the color of this piece, especially as a cover-up, but I am going to pass for now.

What do you think?  Do you like this cover-up?  Do you have any convertible dresses/skirts?  What do you think of them in general?

Victoria's Secret: Swim Sale and Dollars Off

Victoria's Secret is offering an extra 25 - 40% off of select swim styles.  This promotion appears to be good online; it's unclear if it will be going on in the stores that carry swim styles.

In addition, VS is also offering a dollars off promotion right now.  You can get $20 off $100, $30 off $150, and $75 off $250.  To take advantage of this offer, use the code MORESAVE when you checkout.  This offer is only good online, and is good until May 14, 2009.

Victoria's Secret: 40% Off Select Swim

Victoria's Secret is offering an additional 40% off select swim through tomorrow, April 22, 2009. Simply add swim items from the "40% Off Swim Styles" collection to your cart, and then enter the code VSSWIM40 at checkout.  This offer appears to be online only.  It's not clear whether or not the stores that carry swim are running this promotion as well.

Victoria's Secret: Free Tote

Victoria's Secret is offering another free swim tote with a $50 swim purchase. To get your tote, add at least $50 worth of swim merchandise to your cart, and then enter the code SWIM09 at checkout. This tote is available through April 6, 2009.

Victoria's Secret: 25% Off Swim

Victoria's Secret is offering 25% off of select swim styles, including over 60 new and reduced styles. This offer is good through March 25, 2009. Use the code VSSWIM25 when you checkout.